Farmers have until May 30 to apply for this year's Rabobank's Executive Development Programme.

The programme gives leading farmers from across Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to enhance their business management skills and take their enterprises forward.

Guy Goodeve, general manager of Castlerock Farming Company.

Rabobank CEO New Zealand Ben Russell says farm management has evolved to become much more commercially-focused than in the past, making it necessary for producers to think more strategically about how they run their operations.

Guy Goodeve, general manager of Castlerock Farming Company – a 1640 hectare mixed-farming enterprise of sheep, beef, deer and dairy support in Southland – completed the Executive Development Programme last year.

'There are big opportunities in farming to get where you want to be and keep getting better. Go and find that extra 10 per cent, produce 10 per cent more, find those gains by cost-cutting here or value-adding there. You need to capitalise on the opportunities when they do come.”

Producers interested in an application forms, or any further information on the Rabobank Executive Development Programme, visit www.rabobank.co.nz/bmp or contact Rabobank Business Programme's manager Nerida Sweetapple on +61 2 8115 4139 or email
nerida.sweetapple@rabobank.com.au.